Christian Couple Subjected to ‘Medical Kidnap’ by State

• Children taken from parents after anonymous tipstersends child protective services to home for no reason.

By Tarrah Baptista —

A young Christian couple in Bellingham,Washington recently found themselvesin an emotional battle with thestate shortly after Child ProtectiveServices (CPS) abducted their infant babies following their home birth.

Although CPS labeled the couple “unmarried,”Cleave Rengo and his wife, Erica May Carey, had takentheir wedding vows before God, opting out of attaining a marriage license with the state as many Christian couples have been doing in America.

After delivering their firstborn in the hospital,the Rengo couple decided they were going to havea home birth without medical assistance for theirsecond child. It was a decision that was inspired by their Christian faith.

“I’ve done a lot of research about other womenwho have done it and they said the spiritual experiencewas so much more wholesome,” Carey told a reporter with KING-TV, Seattle.“We wanted to preserve that sanctity and sacredness in our birth.”

On November 8, the Rengo family, expecting only onebaby, delivered twins. The delivery was successfulwith no complications, but a few days later, CPScame knocking on their door responding to an anonymous phone call.

On several occasions within a short time followingthat visit, CPS officials came unannounced,dictating to the Rengos how they should raise theirchildren. For example, they pressured the coupleto use pharmaceutical steroid cream for their 10-month-old baby’s eczema rashes, even though thecouple already had a natural coconut treatment that was working well.

CPS also stated the newborns needed to be puton formula and brought to the hospital for checkups.The Rengos refused because they saw thatonly breast milk was needed and didn’t want their infants exposed to harmful illnesses in a hospital.

“They wanted the authority in my household,”Mrs. Rengo told local KING. “I toldthem, ‘I’m a Christian, and God gave me the authority in my household.’ ”

Weeks later, federal authorities with the Departmentof Health and Human Services (HHS) andCPS took the three breastfeeding babies out of theRengos’s home and put them in separate foster homes. While the infants were in state custody, the parents were allowed to see them once a week.

During this time in foster care the infant twinsbecame underweight, and their firstborn son fell illwith pneumonia.

For weeks, the couple was tormented. They dideverything they could to bring attention to whatHHS and CPS had done and refused to be silent.

Eventually, with help from the website Medical Kidnap, the Rengos’ story spread far enough totrigger a national outcry. The exposure of theirstory is believed to have been the reason that in December,Washington Superior Court CommissionerThomas Verge ruled in favor of the Rengos and orderedthe return of the children to their loving parents,but not without scolding the couple for thingsthey were not responsible for, such as the illnesses that came upon the children while in state custody.

Verge also threatened that he would take the babiesaway again if the parents don’t follow what CPSdictates. “Their lives are dedicated to children,” he added. “They are not the enemy. They are heroes.”

The Rengo case is not an isolated incident. Whiletrue child-abuse cases are often ignored—especiallyin foster homes—there are many cases ofchildren being taken from good homes on false allegations.A number of them have been put intostate custody where reports of abuse, trauma andeven death have been documented. For example,to this day, no one knows what happened to 78 children who went missing while in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

Tarrah Beth Baptista is a freelance writer, and a contributor of the annual Freedompalooza festival. She’s currently scouting speakers and vendors for future Freedompalooza events. Feel free to contact her at [email protected]

14 Comments on Christian Couple Subjected to ‘Medical Kidnap’ by State

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” George Orwell.

Please help my friend Cassy Jones have her children back. She was targeted by DCF for speaking the truth about this dysfunctional institution, who has had over 534 children dead in the last six years. Please see her story here:

DCF/Family courts are violating due process rights under the color of law to illegally remove children from loving and caring parents for purely financial reasons due to federal incentives, effectively committing child trafficking, kidnapping and extortion. It is time parents rise up all other this nation and demand our children back.

Join the Parents’ Rights Revolution and help Cassy Jones bring her case to national TV by becoming the Florida State leader of this national class action lawsuit by recruiting 150 people under her. The class action lawsuit aims at defunding the loopholes in Title IV-D and E of the social security that are the root cause of these crimes against humanity. It just requires entering someone’s referral Code to join—so PLEASE use hers—34442CR031—in the CAPRA registration form, located on the bottom of the homepage:

“Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor.” Ginetta Sagan

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” Abraham Lincoln.

“Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty.” Oscar Romero.

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson.

Anybody can claim they “know this couple personally” on the Internet. I can also claim I’m an FBI agent, say that they are terrorists and demand a War on Home Birth (will be as useless as the War on Drugs/Terror/etc.)

Actually, Heidi, I do not know the couple personally as “Anonymous” seems to. I used to live in Bellingham, Washington, where they live. I have been following the story since it was first written about and there were many inconsistencies from the beginning. Please don’t judge me by saying I have such an empty life that I must oppress others. On what do you base such a statement? Why would you choose to attack me?

It never ceases to amaze me when people ASSUME that ALL children belong with their parents, regardless. If any of you who are posting such comments would do your own research, you would know that it is NOT about home birth, it is NOT about homeopathic medicine, and it is NOT about them being Christians. It is about the 20+ domestic violence calls (three in the week before they ran away), the refusal by the “dad” to comply with judge’s orders to attend anger management classes. It is about negligence. Please do some background checking yourselves. If you look at Erica May’s FB page, she would LOVE to have you all wire her money—directly to her boyfriend (they are not married, common-law marriage is not legal in Washington)—no surprise! Be wise, people, use your heads. It’s one thing to gather information, but wisdom is necessary to discern what is right and what is true.

The misleading thing here is that these people need to have their children taken away. Of course you wouldn’t know it by reading these articles of uneducated opinion.

Let’s just say that I know this family very well. While I believe that their intentions are good sometimes, these two should not be parents. There is mental illness involved, as well as a destructive chaos that follow them around constantly. These children are in an abusive environment and are most likely being neglected all the while you people put your two cents into a machine you know nothing about. Now they have have a gofundme page set up so that you can put your two cents into it. It will help them since they are unable to provide a stable home on their own.

I’m sorry to steal your article but it was perfectly put. I started this gofundme for Erica. I honestly don’t know how to get the money to her now but I can’t stand by and do nothing. I’ve wanted to help financially from the moment I read this story and now I did this. Please share, I know that the most powerful person in government is whoever has the most money, so hopefully we can help Erica get great representation and a safe place for her and her babies to live and anything else she needs.

What a nightmare! I have heard a few stories like this and I am horrified. Thanks for this beautifully written but sobering article on a topic that needs much more exposure. Salutations, Tarrah and AFP, for getting the truth out there.

If you think you those children are safer with the state rather than their Christ loving parents who are looking to be free from the chains of HHS, then you have some issues of your own that you should focus your concerns on. There is nothing inaccurate about this article. Go troll somewhere else.

“The Rengos reportedly left their home in Washington to avoid having CPS take their children away again, and today, February 5, 2015, they were picked up in California, and the children were taken away from them.

Cleve Goheen-Rengo, 23, and Erica Carey, 29, fled from their Washington home with the three children. A warrant was not issued for their arrest, but a Be On The Lookout was issued by Bellingham police to West Coast law enforcement.

Bellingham police officers said it was not a criminal kidnapping or Amber Alert investigation, but rather a civil violation by defying CPS court orders. So while no criminal charges were made against the parents, nevertheless, the children will be returned to State custody in Washington. Carey (the mother) was arrested for refusing to cooperate with Santa Cruz County law enforcement. She reportedly stated: “Send a message to America for me. Children don’t belong to the government. The government belongs to the people.”

This story has taken a dangerous turn as the parents have fled with their three children and are currently on the run. They did not comply with the judge’s orders. This article is irresponsible, it is old news, as well as inaccurate news. You will see the children on the Washington State Patrol Missing Persons website. Please update your readers and pray to our Heavenly Father that these three innocent children are found soon and safe.